Sadistic sex offender back in jail

IAN STEWARD

Last updated 05:00 09/10/2012

Relevant offers

A sadistic sex offender who kept his daughter as a sex slave for 23 years has been recalled to prison after being caught on camera babysitting a four-year-old girl whose mother he befriended without telling her about his past.

Dutch-born Ronald Van Der Plaat, 78, was released on parole in 2010, 10 years into a 14-year prison sentence.

He had been jailed for "bizarre and depraved" acts of "indescribable cruelty" perpetrated against his daughter over a 23-year hellish incarceration in the Pacific Islands and at their Te Atatu, West Auckland home.

His offending included hanging her from the ceiling by her ankles before abusing her, making her pregnant with a baby she later miscarried, and raping her after giving her overdoses of drugs and alcohol.

His parole conditions included not spending the night away from home and not having contact with anyone under the age of 16 other than with the supervision of a probation-officer-approved adult.

He breached that condition by being caught on surveillance cameras at an unnamed museum on September 2, "walking beside a girl of Asian descent holding her hand".

"The girl appeared to be approximately five years old," the Parole Board recall decision said.

Two further breaches were added yesterday in the Waitakere District Court; one for staying overnight at a motel in Orewa on three occasions, the other for having contact with a four-year-old girl with an Asian name at the motel on those three occasions.

A Parole Board spokeswoman said like Stuart Murray Wilson, the release of Van Der Plaat was ''not discretionary''.

''Even though he is on parole, the Board had no choice but to release him as he was sentenced under old legislation prior to 2002."

Van Der Plaat told the Parole Board he met the girl and her mother at a public event and "entered into conversation with the mother about the shells they were both collecting".

He subsequently visited the mother at home seven or eight times in five months.

He took the girl to the museum as the mother was studying for an important exam.

"He acknowledged he did not at any time disclose to the mother of the child the fact that he was a convicted sex offender."

The woman only found out after being told by a third party, whose name was withheld from the decision.

There was no mention of offending against the child and it is not known if police are investigating.

In a psychological report in October 2009, before he was released, Van Der Plaat was assessed as having a medium to high risk of future sexual offending.

"It was noted that his sexual arousal to sadistic acts had not diminished as he aged and there was no evidence of decreased sexual libido or sexual interest."

He maintained his daughter had made up the offences to get money for drugs.

Van Der Plaat told the Parole Board that he did not know about the no-children clause on his parole, despite having applied in the past to have that very condition relaxed.

His lawyer submitted that his risk could be managed by electronic monitoring. The Parole Board said his "lack of openness and honesty with his Probation Officer made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to manage his risk in the community".

"Van Der Plaat's persistent denial of his offending means that he is an untreated sex offender. His risk remains undiminished."

He was recalled to prison until his sentence end date on October 11, 2014.